Dentures Can Make Your Life Easier | Marietta, GA

November 13, 2015

Humans have been losing teeth for as long as they have existed, and dentures have been a part of dental care for centuries.

Around 700 B.C., a group in what is now northern Italy, the Etruscans, made dentures out of human and animal bones. In the 1700s, many dentures were made from ivory taken from elephants and other animals.

Our first president, George Washington, may be the most famous denture wearer in U.S. history. The first porcelain dentures were crafted in 1774 by Alexis Duchâteau.

Since then, newer, better, and stronger materials have been created to help people replace their missing teeth. If you are in need of dentures, call Atlanta West Dentistry in Marietta. We provide a number of dentures types to meet your needs.

Types of dentures

A few centuries ago, it was common to remove teeth from corpses so they could be used as replacement teeth for the living. New materials like Vulcanite, acrylic resins, and plastics made the demand for human teeth unnecessary.

At our office, our patients have the option of partial dentures, full removable dentures, and dentures that are supported or retained by implants.

• Partial dentures — For someone who is missing some teeth and has healthy remaining teeth, partial dentures can be an effective way to fill in the gap. These dentures are held in place with an adhesive, which also means they can be removed easily for regular cleaning.

• Full removable dentures — If you are missing several teeth, or your remaining teeth are unhealthy, you may be better off having a full set of dentures to replace your arch. Like the partial dentures, full dentures can be removed for easy cleaning, and they are held in place with an adhesive.

• Implant-retained dentures — For patients who want something more secure, this is a good option. These types of dentures are held in place by a small dental implant, often a piece of titanium that is placed into your jawbone. This type of implant is smaller than a tradition implant, which means it allows your mouth to heal faster, but it is more secure than traditional dentures.

One such type of implant-retained dentures is known as LOCATOR implants. You can learn more about these here.

Should you get dentures?

That is a question you can decide in consultation with our dentists, but you may want to consider dentures if for a variety of reasons.

1. You are missing multiple teeth. Dentures are one option for filling the gaps between your remaining teeth.

2. Your teeth are unhealthy. If you haven’t kept up your oral hygiene like you should, you may need to have teeth removed. Dentures can serve as a replacement for those unhealthy teeth.

3. You are having trouble eating certain foods. This may because of missing teeth or teeth that have become loose for one reason or another. Dentures can replace those teeth, and the implant-retained dentures can give you a greater sense of confidence when you are eating.

4. You are self-conscious about your smile. Maybe your missing teeth aren’t a problem when you eat, but they could be making you less confident about how your mouth looks. Dentures can restore the appearance of a full smile.

Other options

Dentures are a well-known solution for missing teeth. As we’ve seen, they have been used for centuries by humans in a number of civilizations.

But we have also seen great advancements in dental technology that may offer a more lasting solution than dentures. These options give you the appearance of a full set of natural-looking teeth and give you almost all the chewing power of your original teeth.

Full implants can anchor crowns and bridges and even full arch replacements.

Crowns are generally of porcelain and are used to replace individual teeth. Bridges are used to replace multiple teeth, they fill in larger gaps in much the way bridges for travel may span a river.

Full arches, such as All-on-4 and All-on-6 implants allow you to replace all your upper or lower teeth.

Want to learn more?

If you are ready to find out more about dentures or our other tooth replacement options, schedule a consultation with our dental team today.

Experience the difference that Atlanta West Dentistry in Marietta can make for you and your mouth. Call us at 770-744-4619 or fill out our online form to make an appointment.